How to get started with your UTQ (BKO) portfolio?

 

Teachers in the UTQ (BKO) course often tell me that they don’t know where to start off with their portfolio. To some, the portfolio feels like a heavy thing that needs to be done.

One approach to writing your portfolio is to use the meso level assignment as a starting point. This works best if your meso-assignment describes how your course fits into the overall study programme. If you include a detailed course description in your meso-assignment this can be the backbone of your portfolio. But what is a good course to use for the meso-level assignment? What should be part of the detailed course description and how do you connect this to the competences in your portfolio? Follow the steps below.

 

Step 1 Select a course that can benefit from an in-depth analysis

This could be the case in the following situations:

• when you would like to renew your course (the analysis can be for yourself, for your chair group, other co-teachers, the programme committee, etc)
• a course that gets remarks in the evaluation that you would like to address
• when your course will be scheduled in a different period of the year (the previous knowledge of students will probably change)
• when you get a new colleague in the course, you can use the detailed description to inform your co-teacher
• if your course gets peer-reviewed a detailed description can be helpful
• when you get different students (another study programme, students from other universities, etc.)

 

Step 2: Make a detailed description of your course

Elaborate on your course, the students, the design, your activities, your views and experiences, course evaluations, etc.:

• What are the learning outcomes? How did they change over time?
• Who are the students in your course? How will you analyse their previous knowledge?
• How do parts of your course connect to previous courses? And how does your course connect to follow up courses?
• What are your teaching methods, how do you organise lectures and tutorials? Give examples of student and teacher activities.
• How do you organise feedback in your course?
• How do you assess your students?
• If it is a redesign: What suggestions can you deduct from the course evaluations?
• What stakeholders need to be informed about or involved in the design of the course?
• What are strong points of your course? What are things you would like to change?

 

Step 3 Create a table with all UTQ/BKO (sub)competences and check!

In the next step you take a look at the list of all UTQ/BKO (sub)competences and

1. identify which (sub)competences are described in your meso- assignment. You will notice that probably most of the competences are already addressed
2. in the text of your meso level assignment you add a reference for the appropriate (sub)competence. This could look like this:

 

3. In your portfolio you add a table where you present all (sub)competences with the page where they are discussed in the meso level assignment:

 

Step 4: Add more cases and “evidence”

For the competences that have not yet been covered (enough) you can add a separate chapter were you elaborate on these. Maybe using another course or other experiences to illustrate your competence. Include references as described in step 3.2 and 3.3.

See also the checklist for the composition of your portfolio in the section “Assessment” of the UTQ reader (p.14): Link to UTQ reader

Another or additional way to help you write your portfolio is to join a portfolio writing group

The next writing group starts 20 March from 13.30h-15.00h. Please click here to register.

Interested in the benefits of a portfolio writing group? Read this blog post.